A mile-long corridor of flame blasted through a long dormant lava tube reignited with pyroclastic expurse, terror erupts in cataclysmic scale as the storming vent of scorned indignation which fuels the fiery direct-to-skull beating of this fourth full-length album from Porto Alegre, Brazil-based death metal trio Rebaelliun unleashes. Incensed by the corruption and insane rule of the new pandemic world ‘Under the Sign of Rebellion‘ confronts and shouts down the noxious and the opportunistic as the revived soul of their early millennium-honed brutal yet technical punish found its furor again in trying times. Armed with their signature machine-gunned sound and plenty enough to say this band might appear of a certain era in terms of style but they’ve proven that doesn’t mean they’ve any intention of lazing about and making easy work of it, the result is a ripping death metal record which should ping the nostalgia of some and help to re-educate many others.

Rebaelliun formed circa 1998 as former members of Blessed entered an era of new extremes having taken clear cues from the wild intensity and brutality of Krisiun as that sound reached beyond the underground black/death and brutal death metal scenery of Brazil. Heavily influenced by the classics of death metal their sound kept clear of the black metal spectrum towards pure death metal and thrashing death metal, picking up extreme speed as their trademark early on beside that of groups like Angelcorpse and Centurian, bruisers pushing the limits of speed and brutality in the late 90’s. Most folks in the United States took notice post-millennium due to two bigger events, the first being ‘Conquerors of Armageddon‘ (2000) releasing on Century Media and the second being Relapse Records‘ feeling out the situation with a split 4-way record ‘Brazilian Assault‘ (2000) which featured ’98-’99 demos from Abhorrence, Nephasth, Mental Horror and Ophiolatry and it wasn’t long before labels like Mutilation Productions (Funerus, Queiron) and Gene Palubicki’s Evil Vengeance Records (among others) began picking up bands in this style. Rebaelliun were among that wave of late 90’s demos with their first tape (‘At War‘, 1998) representing alongside maniac live performances which got them signed to Hammerheart Records for a two album deal that’d basically constitute their early career.

Written off as a Krisiun clone by many early on (sometimes for good reason) the big thing that Rebaelliun‘s debut LP (‘Burn the Promised Land‘, 1999) had over many contemporaries at the time (excepting Centurian‘s comparable ‘Choronzonic Chaos Gods‘ that same year) was well-produced and stylized sound design. Sure they’d still scooped the bass tones out of its body but everything was balanced well enough to let all of the noodling/dive-bombing leads fire off and the riffs strike at more than an atmospheric scrape in the back of your ear. Despite the guitars being given most of the attention drummer Sandro Moreira (Exterminate, ex-Mental Horror) was the main reason those songs held together overall and this was a huge advantage over most bands in this style; If you can put yourself there, August 2001 was obliterated by Deeds of Flesh ‘Mark of the Legion‘ and Krisiun‘s ‘Ageless Venomous‘ as big AOTY hits (for my taste) before the very next month was hit with Rebaelliun‘s second LP (‘Annihilation‘, 2001) a challenger for speed, brutality and maybe a good way to forget about ‘In Torment in Hell‘ nearby. The main reason many folks, myself included, remain hyped over new material beyond the bands reformation in 2015 stems from that second album when the band’d arguably been at their peak fitness within their mind-bending signature had the most technical reach and speed applied (see: “Unleash the Fire”.)

Beyond the split of the band in 2005 guitarist Fabiano Penna (R.I.P.) formed The Ordher with members of Nephasth and released two album sin the late 2000’s in a style which were more groove oriented than Rebaelliun‘s sound but not unrelated to the direction they’d eventually take when reforming for a third LP (‘The Hell’s Decrees‘, 2016) Longtime guitarist Ronaldo Lima left soon after and Penna would unfortunately pass away in early 2018 leaving the band effectively without a guitarist and I would assume some of the toughest times ahead when vocalist/bassist Loy Fabiano (R.I.P.) would then tragically pass away mid-2022 about a year after completing ‘Under the Sign of Rebellion‘. In most ways this new album pulls back to the earlier days of the band, touching upon thrashing death metal aggression and cranking the speed and brutality up beyond the prior release and easing off the focus of groove just enough that it feels like a strike toward the standard ‘Annihilation‘ set over two decades ago. This thought applies most loudly as we crush through opener “All Hail the Regicide” before landing on the heavier grooves which break up the blasting verses of “The Gods Manace”. Up front those first 8-9 minutes give the impression that Rebaelliun are back on this new reecord.

It is worth going all the way back and ripping through the band’s discography before cutting into ‘Under the Sign of Rebellion‘ not only in terms of regaining an ear for their sound as it’d rapidly developed and briefly reprised but also for the sake of gaining that contextual ear for a time when brutality was a logical extension of death metal canon which still aimed for the higher effort path of those building upon the ferocity of traditional USDM. While Rebaelliun‘s work has lacked the era-specific traits borrowed from a movement in terms of songwriting since splitting in 2002 that doesn’t stop them from reprising the general modus of that era, having the benefit of hindsight for their second revival which we do not find in say, the latest Krisiun releases. At the same time this recording finds ways to improve upon past works as the compressed guitar tones of ‘The Hell’s Decrees‘ are nixed in favor of a more present rhythm section with a clear and clean bass guitar tone resting right under the crispier attack of the guitars. The aforementioned opener hits this sound with a revivified attack but it was probably “Insurgent Fire” that really ignited the ‘Conquerors of Armageddon‘-era fire to my ear, a simple but menacing arrangement arrangement with militaristic verses and an effectively frantic hit of aggression which acts as accelerant to the middle portion of the album, just as the album threatens to fall into a pit of sameness. In truth most of the all sub-four minute pieces on the album bear reasonable variation in pacing but most folks will go in expecting the hellfire corridor that ultimately forms in the wake of Rebaelliun‘s action, this is what they deliver for better or worse depending on your taste.

“Light Eater” slows down some, throws in some of the death-thrash metal kicked feeling that this album generally warms to at the mid-point and gives us something that is new from the band yet not out of character entirely, at times sounding like a circa 2003 Torture Squad song with its crooked groove. Most of the full listen hits in a way which seems intended to re-light the fire of the band, remind fans that they can still do this style. From the descending guitar progressions of “The Decimating Opposition” to the very strong late album burning peaks of “Antagonize” and the wholly representative “In Heresy We Trust” what is unique about Rebaelliun is emphasized to the point that they now seem like less of an also-ran when taking a closer look at this and their first four years in hindsight.

The full listen is pissed, a volley of missiles aimed at Brazilian political corruption and the social engineering that has left a lot of misguided ‘patriotic’ fools damaging their own civil rights during and ‘post’-pandemic. There is much more to put into the lyrics of this album but needless to say a couple years’ worth of isolation and frustration went into this album and they’d put a lot more thought into it than the usual burn in Hell stuff we’re used to. It is a bittersweet return for Rebaelliun, to see them realize some of their best work since 2001 with their longtime vocalist/bassist only to have him pass away is both a triumph and a great loss, yet there is no denying this is an effective, powerfully shot death metal record in a style which is really just their own gig at this point. It flattened me, gave me a headache, called me back for more and tore the República a new one while doing it. A high recommendation.

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